


One Long Summer

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Character Study, Drabble, adopted brothers au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 05:59:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11247753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: This camp was going to be the death of one of them, and if Max had any say in the matter, it was going to be David.Adopted Brothers AU





	One Long Summer

**Author's Note:**

> boy howdy it's been a long time since I've written anything RT. it's been literally a year since i updated anything RT so sorry if i'm a bit rusty :/
> 
> you can take this AU from my cold, dead hands

The absence of the noise of a car engine did nothing to lessen the tension between the two figures in the car. In fact, turning the car off only made the tension _worse_.

David tapped his fingers on the steering wheel while he desperately tried to think of something to say. Something reassuring. Something _inspiring_. But his guitar was in the backseat so, ultimately, it was pointless trying to find the right words to say. Words weren’t really words without the music.

He took it as a good sign that Max hadn’t immediately bolted from the car. Still, Max didn’t look happy the entire car ride here. He didn’t really look happy at any point in time.

“So-” David began but Max interrupted.

“I’m going to stop you right there.” Max said. “ _Nothing_ you say can make this any less of a living nightmare that it already fucking is. I don’t want to be here, but I’m stuck here until the end of the summer, so we both have to just live with it.”

David was taken aback, just a little. It wasn’t like he knew Max was a happy-go-lucky child, but he thought that maybe the idea of being away from home for a few weeks with a chance to make new friends might be at least a _little_ exciting?

David sighed.

“Look, I know being my new brother isn’t exactly what you wanted, but Camp Campbell is fun! I have loads of great memories at this place!” David said, gesturing to the camp through the windscreen. He knew he was smiling as he remembered, and that made Max’s scowl even deeper.

“I’m not your fucking brother.” Max said. A simple, undeniable fact. “Your mom thought she could save me and she’s as fucking delusional as you!”

The car door slam left David in silence. He let himself feel just a moment of negativity. He knew this was going to take time; Max was still adjusting; this was hard for him too when he was Max’s age.

But then David saw Gwen start to walk towards the car and he smiled again. Max would adjust. He just needed a little time. In the meanwhile, he had a camp to counsel.

The lake air was just as he remembered and David took a deep breath, letting himself soak in the atmosphere again. He closed his eyes and remembered all the summer’s he jumped off the bus at this exact place.

Gwen punched his arm and he opened his eyes, smiling at her.

“Hey David,” she said, dressed in her Counsellor uniform just like him, with the same levels of enthusiasm he’d begun to expect from her. “Looks like it’s just us again this year.”

“That just means we have more of the fun!” David said, ever the optimist. But Gwen rolled her eyes and leaned against the car door as David grabbed his bags from the backseat. He tucked the guitar under his arm and slung Max’s bag over his shoulder. Gwen eyed the new bag curiously but waited for David to stand back up and look at her.

“I’m guessing your mom took in another kid.” Gwen said. They’d already talked about all these kind of things; when you spend entire summer’s trapped together and outnumbered by kids, you tend to get personal.

“Yeah, his name’s Max.” David said, walking with Gwen down the much trodden path towards the Counsellor dorms. “This whole thing’s been tough on the poor little guy.”

“You think Camp’s gonna change that?” Gwen asked, looking over at where Max was standing by the entrance to the camp. They both knew just from his posture that it wasn’t any kind of excitement towards incoming campers.

“It helped me.” David said quietly. “I loved coming to Camp Campbell as a kid!”

“Hate to break it to you, David, but the camp’s changed a lot since you were a kid.” Gwen said, opening the door to let David into his room and dump his bags. He kept Max’s bag on him, thinking that he could just swing by the camper’s tents and drop it off before he went to his office.

“I know, Gwen, it’s just…”

The bus pulled up outside of the camp and David was saved from having to reply. But Gwen still gently patted his arm before punching it and trying to gather up all her patience.

“Come on, we have some campers to settle in!” David said, setting off towards the entrance.

 

This camp was going to be the death of one of them, and if Max had any say in the matter, it was going to be David.

Even if his convoluted, half-baked plans always seemed to fail.

Even if all his attempts to break David’s optimism never actually stuck.

Max watched, as Nikki tried to stick a roasted marshmallow in Neil’s hair while Neil desperately tried to fend her off. Almost despite himself, he had to laugh as Neil tripped over Nurf’s outstretched foot and Nikki fell over him, immediately starting a wrestling match in the dirt by the open fire. He laughed even more as Gwen stepped in to try and break the fight up.

He looked up and saw David watching him, with a small smile on his face. Immediately Max frowned, more to spite David than anything else. But then Nikki and Neil came back over and sat either side of him, covered in dirt and traces of Marshmallow.

Max didn’t really listen as Neil started bitching and Nikki started babbling. He only snapped back to reality when he realised his marshmallow had caught fire.

The buzz of tired conversation didn’t mean anything. He stood up, waving off Neil and Nikki’s concerns. He needed a little time to himself.

The lake was really nothing special. If he squinted, he could see that house on the island in the middle of it. He shuddered at the memory.

On the other banks were other camps with their own fucking problems and their own annoying counsellors. Other camps with their own troublemakers and their own rules.

He knew David was there before he stopped beside him.

They both stood on the banks of the lake, just _looking_.

“So how are you warming up to Camp Campbell?” David asked. This was the first time they’d had a real talk; one-on-one, when David wasn’t bitching at him to enjoy the camp and Max wasn’t actively trying to kill him. Usually David was good at keeping that profession distance, but maybe it was the campfire or that bottle of booze Gwen tried to hide from the campers that lead them to this.

“It has it’s moments.” Max said, resolutely ignoring the smile on David’s face. “But the rest of the time this place is a fucking shit-hole.”

“Give it time.” David said.

Summer was a very long time to get used to a place.

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr's [private-doughnut](http://private-doughnut.tumblr.com) if you want to swing round and say hi


End file.
